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August 27, 2018

Being a customer service representative in the offices of 24-7 Press Release Newswire presents many opportunities to hear directly from those in the thick of the marketing and communications industry--particularly those that are dependent upon on a press release service to get their news into the hands of the media.

Amongst the communications professionals we work with and talk to, one factor remains consistent: the newswire distribution service needs to be easy to use and reliable. This is a process that 24-7 Press Release Newswire excels at; keeping the press release submission process simple, and getting great results. View our reviews here at Capterra

Information from one review states:

Pros: 24-7 is easy to use, flexible, provides good coverage and almost immediate feedback on release metrics. I've found it is an affordable way to keep our name in the news for prospects, current customers, and the general public. Press releases are a vital tool in my public relations toolbox and 24-7 gives me flexibility, affordability, and good return on my investment.

Cons: I sometimes wish that the releases were distributed in larger metropolitan areas. I seem to get a lot of placement in vertical journals or smaller markets.

Overall: Increased public relations and news coverage at an affordable price.

Great, we've had the opportunity to toot our horn, let's get down to the nitty gritty.

Most of those within the industry are aware that a press release is not a one shot deal, something we have mentioned in previous articles. This holds particularly true when it comes to ‘branding.' As per Marketing-Schools.org, Branding is a concept that extends far beyond the marketing of "brand name" designer jeans and other products. A company's brand represents their market identity--who they are, what they do, what kind of quality they provide, their reputation for trustworthiness, and more. Find out more on branding here.

Branding of a business, product or service is an enormous undertaking that starts with communicating well on your company website, keeping your social media channels updated, being found in search results and, of course, using newsletters to reach clients directly. Much of this can be covered with a press release; however it does not end there.

Sending a press release requires some coordination between your marketing team and communications team. Once the press release is written and signed off on by all those stakeholders who need to approve it, you can send your press release to the media using a press distribution service like 24-7 Press Release Newswire. There are other news distribution services available, like PR Newswire, which 24-7 Press Release Newswire also partners with for our Mass Media Visibility package.

Through the results of the recent survey we conducted, we further learned that many in the communications industry also send their news to their own media lists. These may be contacts these individuals have built up over time or have had previous interactions or relationships with.

One way to build up your own media list is to find the key contact at a particular media outlet in which you are interested in being covered. The contact information is usually within the newspaper, publication or news website. If you do go this route, you need to make sure that they are definitely the contact for your industry and information.

When your press release has been sent through the distribution source of your choice, you can also send your press release to your contacts list through email. A good way to do this is to personalize each one. Journalists are not fond of receiving a ‘wide spread, generic email'.

You might say "well isn't that what happens when we use a press release distribution service?" Yes and no. For instance, when 24-7 Press Release Newswire sends a press release out, it will also be made available to the news desk of the Associated Press for their 30,000 members. This means that the journalists at the AP can search stories, and our stories will be found within their search results. This is different from directly contacting a journalist.

24-7 Press Release Newswire also has its own media desk for journalists who sign up to be notified of stories of interest to them based on categories selected. Again, this is a different approach than just sending a blanket email to journalists.

These are just a couple examples of the many ways 24-7 Press Release Newswire distributes news and gets your press release into the hands of the media.

After you have emailed your press release, it is advisable to share the link of your story and post information within your social media, as sometimes these stories can go viral, like one we just saw titled "US Navy Veterans Mesothelioma Advocate Now Urges a Navy Veteran with Mesothelioma to Call Them for On the Spot Access To The Nation's Most Exceptional Attorneys For Much Better Compensation Results" - This press release received well over 500 shares on LinkedIn alone. We are not 100% certain whether this was in part because of visibility that the story received through a search engine, or if it was because they shared their story link on LinkedIn. We are confident that many of our press releases do receive increased visibility through search results, providing much earned success for many of our customers. This can potentially be attributed to an influencer finding the story and either making mention of it, sharing it, or partially re-writing / quoting your original press release. There are many unknown factors that can contribute to a story going viral. And there is one thing for certain that we have come to recognize: If you distribute a press release to the media, it will have a greater chance of attaining visibility online than one that is not sent out.

Once you have 1) sent your press release through a distribution service, 2) emailed it to your contacts list, and 3) updated your social media channels with your link and a synopsis of the story, there is one last thing to do: 4) update your newsroom if you have one.

For those who are not familiar with a newsroom, it is a section of your website that can be accessed by the media to find all your previous news stories, media contact information, high resolution images, media kits and more. This is something that every business should have.

In summary, although there are a few steps to sending out a press release, none of them are rocket science. They are all very straight forward and if you think about it, they all make sense. It is just a matter of doing it a few times to get used to it. If you do not have the tools mentioned in this article, we recommend setting them up. Social media sites are quick and easy to set up and to update. Every business should engage in this. By following these steps, you will increase your visibility online over your competition that does not engage in the use of press releases.